i was thinking, what is one of the most efficient engines the planet has. us! so if we're so good y don't we use other biological things for power? ie, clyvesdales walking around in a circle pulling that thing or whatever in the 18th-19th centuries, etc.

 

would it b possible sometime now, or in the near-medium future to engineer an organism that performs a simple task such as rotating an axle?

it wouldn't have to b very complicated, basically just a big blob that's created out of living tissue which does its tasks.

if it's made well it could last a long time.

but i suppose it is susceptible to disease and such.

also u will have to feed it.

also it is probably against every biological and philisophical ethic in the book.

also it will probably never b half as good as a mechanical machine neway.

also it's probably way out of our scientific grasp.

 

but in any case, could the basic idea b used to fulfill a task? does it have any upsides? what could it b used for?

Biological organisms aren't actually that efficient to be honest.

 

The best ideas for exploiting organisms are those that use something the organism does anyway, without interference from us. Like harvesting the methane by-products of decomposition for use as a fuel.

oh ok, thanks.

so does that mean we could turn slaughterhouses, junkyards, sewage farms, farm farms etc into a source of energy?

would it b a worthwhile undertaking to rig up devices which could harvest this 'bio-gas'?

Yes, there's no reason why not.

 

Although there are less unpleasant ways to get cheap energy...